Latvia · 100th anniversary of the recognition of the Republic of Latvia

Issue date20 Jan 2021

Total mintage412,000

EU maximum412,000

Editions3

Edge letteringDIEVS ★ SVĒTĪ ★ LATVIJU

Inscription100 Latvija de iure 2021 / LATVIJA / 2021

DesignerZane Ernštreite

mintStaatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the recognition of Latvia under international law on 26 January 1921, after the country had declared its independence on 18 November 1918. The design features the ornate inscription “100 Latvija de iure 2021” with the country name “LATVIJA” and the year of issue.

The design

On 26 January 1921, Latvian diplomacy succeeded in securing the country’s recognition under international law by the major international powers. Latvia declared independence on 18 November 1918, but the country was not recognized until 1920, following unrest.

The coin’s design features the artistic inscription “100 Latvija de iure 2021”, thereby also showing the country’s name (LATVIJA) and the year of issue (2021).

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

The emergence of the Latvian state was connected with the collapse of the Russian Empire and the consequences of the First World War. The territory of Latvia was a theatre of war and was simultaneously contested by various political and military forces. The provisional government under Kārlis Ulmanis had to assert itself against Bolshevik troops, Baltic German formations and the so-called West Russian Liberation Army under Pawel Bermondt-Awaloff. Only after the end of the Latvian War of Independence was the government able to largely control its state territory.

Another step was the peace treaty with Soviet Russia of 1920. In it, Russia renounced its claims to rule over Latvia. The Western Allied powers of the First World War initially hesitated to grant definitive recognition. One reason was the unresolved future of Russia during the civil war: parts of Allied policy at times hoped for the restoration of a non-Bolshevik Russian state and did not want to anticipate its possible territorial claims.

The term “de jure” denotes the full legal recognition of a state. It differs from mere recognition “de facto”, in which a state is treated as an actually existing political order, but its legal status has not yet been conclusively recognized. De jure recognition made it easier for Latvia to establish regular diplomatic relations. Later that same year, the country was admitted to the League of Nations (Völkerbund).

The legal concept of state continuity later acquired additional significance. After the Soviet occupation and incorporation of Latvia in 1940, several Western states did not legally recognize this annexation. Latvian diplomatic missions were therefore able to continue operating in part. When state independence was restored in 1991, Latvia invoked the fact that the republic had continued to exist in law. The coin’s theme thus refers not only to a diplomatic process of the interwar period, but also to a foundation of the modern Latvian understanding of the state.